Proper Hydration — the Why & How
At the Nutritional Therapy Association, we believe water is the fourth macronutrient. (Not sure what macros are? Read this.)
It’s a bold statement, I know, but water literally is that important. It’s found in every single tissue in the human body, making up the large majority of all bodily fluids as well. That includes blood, which helps transport oxygen and nutrients to cells.
Not enough water? Not enough nutrients getting to where they need to go.
As if you needed more convincing, here are some more reasons why properly hydrating your body is important:
In addition to bringing oxygen and nutrients to your tissues, water helps to remove waste materials from cells and shuttle them out of the body. This prevents you from building up toxicities.
Water cushions and lubricates our joint capsules by absorbing shocks and preventing tissues from sticking. This also helps muscle fibers stay lubricated.
Water moistens oxygen for easier breathing, and breathing through your nose is very important too!
Proper hydration leads to more controlled and normalized internal body temperature.
Water helps cell-signaling pathways to maintain communication and electrical properties.
We lose water surprisingly quickly, too:
60% of our water loss is from kidney excretion of urine.
24% of our water loss comes from perspiration on the skin surface.
12% -- believe it or not -- is lost through exhalation and speaking.
4% of water can be lost through the excretion of stool.
So how do we combat all that water loss?
How does regular exercise increase our daily requirement?
What about coffee and alcohol?
Keep reading. I got you.
How to Properly Hydrate
1.Add electrolytes to your water.
I cannot stress this enough.
We require electrolytes (sodium, magnesium, chloride, calcium, potassium) to function properly as humans. They play roles in muscle contraction (including cardiac muscle -- the heart literally needs to keep beating for you to live, and those are muscle contractions), blood pressure regulation, and cellular communication.
The problem is that if we consume too much plain water and don’t balance this volume with adequate electrolyte intake, we can disrupt the balance and cause deficiencies. This is especially true for folks who regularly sweat, eat lower-carbohydrate diets, intermittently fast, consume caffeine/alcohol, and/or suffer from diarrhea.
Contrary to what we’ve been told for the last 50 years, human cellular activity actually requires a shit ton more salt than the RDA lets on. Those limits were set due to the high volume of sodium and MSG in processed foods, which typically make up a large proportion of the standard American diet. If you’re reading this blog, I’d be willing to be you’re not a standard American. (And if you are, that’s totally okay too -- we can work on getting you on a healthy track that works best for you, your schedule, and your body.)
Now, I’m not AT ALL recommending you go out and buy Gatorades or Vitamin Waters. Most commercial electrolyte drinks come packed with tons of added sugars and other nasty ingredients.
What I am recommending:
Add a pinch or two of high-quality sea salt to every 8-ounce cup of water (not iodized table salt).
Purchase electrolyte powders or tablets to add to your water (flavored options available).
Read ingredient labels before buying any pre-made electrolyte drink. You’re better off making your own if it include high fructose corn syrup (or any corn syrup/derivative whatsoever), artificial sweeteners, or food colorings.
Add a drop or two of lemon essential oil to your water. (You could do this in combination with the sea salt above!) There are other oils that can be enjoyed for different flavored water -- but I can only speak to the quality of doTERRA for internal use. Contact me with any questions!
Give this a try and report back.
2. Take small sips throughout the day instead of gulping down 8+ ounces at a time.
Turns out your digestive system can only process and absorb small amounts of water at a time, so if you chug a bunch in one sitting, most will pass right by your thirsty cells and be excreted in your urine.
Pro tip -- those electrolytes I mentioned above? They help you actually absorb and utilize the water you drink, instead of flushing it straight out of your system. Chemistry is truly great.
3. Avoid drinking water around mealtimes.
This is something I always discuss with my nutritional therapy clients, because most people don’t realize the impact of this.
I recommend avoiding excessive water intake (or any liquid, for that matter) 30 minutes prior to a meal, during a meal, and for 30 minutes afterward.
Why? Well, for one, it dilutes your stomach acid, making digestion ten times harder than it needs to be. The stomach acid secreted needs to be full-strength to properly break down and prepare your food for the next phase -- absorption.
Diluted acid = slowed and less effective breakdown of food in the stomach = less nutrients absorbed in the small intestine.
You’ll get more bang for your water buck by only taking small sips as needed throughout the meal and leaving the rest for in-between meals. Added bonus -- you stay hydrated better throughout the day and avoid excess snacking as a result of being thirsty.
4. Only drink to your thirst level -- don’t force it simply because some trainer at the gym drinks 3 gallons during his workout.
There’s a nice bell-shaped curve here when it comes to water consumption. Drinking too little? Bad. Drinking too much? Also bad.
Remember that electrolyte situation? Drinking water to excess can throw that off again, and actually can put you at risk for very serious health conditions.
I recommend to just drink when you’re thirsty, take small sips throughout the day like I mentioned before, and if you’re looking for a “minimum,” don’t drink less than roughly four cups (32 ounces) throughout the day. But the whole “8 cups of 8 ounces each” or “drink this whole milk gallon and then some” shit is unnecessary.
Just like all dietary advice, water intake is very bio-individual.
5. Try filtering out the crap, in some way, shape or form.
There are some faaaancy ass water filtration systems out there. I truly don’t have enough knowledge about them all to be helpful in choosing the one that works for you.
However, in general, some form of water filtration is likely a good idea. There are tons of elemental toxins that can find their way into our tap water. Just remember that if you use a filtration system that also removes all the natural electrolytes listed above, that finding ways to re-incorporate those into your water -- like the powder or tablet options -- is something to consider.
6. For every 8 ounces of coffee or alcohol you consume, drink 12 ounces of water.
I know, right -- who invited the buzzkill nutritionist?
But really, caffeine and booze have diuretic effects, meaning they make you excrete excess water at a faster rate than your body otherwise would.
This can sometimes also cause a loss of electrolytes. (Serious buzzkill, lmao, I’m the worst.)
The general recommendation from the Nutritional Therapy Association is to replace your water loss as indicated above -- basically 1.5x the amount of caffeine or alcohol you consumed. And it’s best to do so in-between second helpings of either. (I swear people do invite me to places.)
I’ll be 100% transparent -- I don’t even do this. Not all of the time, and not accurately. But I do notice the difference. The hangover is a little bit worse, my digestion gets that much more screwed up, or the coffee jitters spark an anxiety attack. It’s all about balance. Find yours. Your body deserves it.
7. Drink a little more water around workouts, especially if you’re prone to sweating a lot or are doing something like HIIT. This is the same for living in hot environments.
I think this is pretty much beating a dead horse at this point, but we’re again referring to electrolyte loss, and of course water loss in general. Sweating causes both. It’s best to replace both either while the workout is going or at least beginning to sip immediately afterward.
Tips and Tricks
Buy a stainless steel or glass reusable water bottle and always keep it with you.
Then you never have an excuse, and you might think to take small sips more often.
Even better, get one that has a set amount inside so you always know how much you’re drinking.
I used my food scale to measure how much water my stainless steel bottle could hold. I remember how many times I’ve had to fill it in a day to track how much I’ve consumed.
Track that shit.
Like I always say, you can’t change what you don’t measure. For some folks, tracking water intake is super important.
If you’re someone who just can’t remember to drink enough, set reminders in your phone every 15-20 minutes to take a sip.
We all have alarms or reminders (for those of us blessed to have such technology in our pockets). We all drink water. Boom.
Fruits and vegetables have water in them -- eat more of these!
Water-laden foods can count for up to 28% of our total daily water intake. Now -- I am not at all excusing you from the small sips throughout the day, but this certainly helps. There are tons of vitamins and minerals in these foods as well, helping to keep your electrolytes balanced.
Make some herbal tea.
Sick of water just being water? Herbal, non-caffeinated teas can help provide other nutrients in combination with your liquid intake to switch it up throughout the day.
Feeling any of the symptoms on the list below? Eat some high-quality sea salt, drink a tiny bit of water, and wait five minutes. See if you feel better.
Muscle cramps
Headache/migraine
Fatigue/brain fog/exhaustion
Listlessness
Insomnia
Anxiety
Heart palpitations
Dizziness
Other flu-like symptoms
Who knew staying hydrated could be so complicated?
I promise that once you get in the habit of some of the suggestions above, it gets a lot easier. If you’re looking for an interesting way to develop such a habit, read this post.
Thoughts? Questions? Comment below or set up a call with me! I’d love to hear from you and have you join the conversation. What works for you? What doesn’t? What insight do you have that you can share with others in your situation?
Until next time, friends.
